Nagging session variable problem - again

I tried changing things nearly 100 times, but still cant get this last piece to work. I have a text area on the checkout page (checkout.php) and its ID is "Message"

On the following page (confirm.php) I am setting a session variable, right in with all the others that are being set, like this:

<?php
if (!session_id()) session_start();
if($_SERVER["REQUEST_METHOD"] == "POST") {
$_SESSION["checkout_message"] = "".((isset($_POST["Message"]))?$_POST["Message"]:"") ."";
}
?>

Then later on that same page, I am showing the text from that session variable like this:

<?php echo ((isset($_SESSION["checkout_message"]))?$_SESSION["checkout_message"]:"") ?>

This all works properly.

When I confirm the order I go to the last page in the process, checkout_success.php

On that page ALL the other session variables are displayed and work properly, except this problem one. I am trying to display it like this:

<?php echo ((isset($_SESSION["checkout_message"]))?$_SESSION["checkout_message"]:"") ?>

It comes out blank.

As I said EVERY other variable on the page shows up fine. I tried changing the name, creating an entirely new one, etc, etc, - literally 20 different things - as much as I could think of. There is nothing else on that page that could be preventing it from displaying, but I am including it as an attachment just in case. I have spent about 4 hours on this one simple thing and I am totally out of ideas.

Needless to say, it isnt getting passed to the e-mail either. The funny thing is that I was having trouble passing the OrderID to the e-mail, since last night...and I fixed that...but looking back, the message seems to have been showing up in the e-mails last night, but not today.

You need to start the session on every page you go to.
Think of it as a permission slip for the new page to see all the data that already exists on the server.

yeah, the session is started and all the other session variables show up. ??? but good thought.

You could try adding: session_commit() before the redirect on that page. I'm not sure why it would be needed but that would make sure the session variable was stored properly I would think.

Make sure to do a search on the page and make sure it isn't being unset or cleared anywhere.

How would I add that session commit?

I tried adding that but it seems to have had no effect.

This may be a long shot, but I thought a ternary expression was sort of an implied isset because it tests for true before providing the result.

Your expression <?php echo ((isset($_SESSION["checkout_message"]))?$_SESSION["checkout_message"]:"") ?>

Could be
<?php echo ($_SESSION["checkout_message"]?$_SESSION["checkout_message"]:"Test for false here");?>